Life raft



Feb 5, 1952 H. l.. KIRBY LIFE RAFT f Filed April 1e, 1949 ,4free/var Patented Feb. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES A o assises;

LIFE mais:v

Rettili L- Kirby, Glendale, Calif-, ossigoor i and "iesne`assignmen omis Calif ApplimfmAmine,- 1949, serial no. 87,939 6 ,Chile-S- (CL 9TH? ro. vies 'the shots" thaiot'distics Which .is sim 1n construction, economical to inanufacf and :voor is' foto@ iiiiise- 5Still another object of th, vention is to pre` vid a buoyant, person 'supporting oaflt construe plurality of" inflatable' and'rmvable an. censhwh. are `so` eopstrqgpea and arranged that', w en inflated, the side Walls of the air cells forni r renomms whichinitiation@ @esilio fi's't'ill further` object of the invention is. to provide'a'buoyant; person SuDportinoat constij `tion coxlri'prising 'affiexiblecasin'g housing'a plurality of removable and'` inflatable "air cells Which casing is 'so constructed and 'arranged that the closure means through which the cells are insert dor removed and the valve Astern` rrtio'ns'of the airc'ells are housed and protected against ac'- till am ther object of the invention is `to provide a oatconstruction having-- theabove de? sirable characteristics and vvhich includes means..

hjvvhich 'it may beattached'to a frame structure. With the abover objects "view, together with such other objects and advantages 'as may sub'- Sqenuy" appear; the invention resides, m 'the parts, 'and yin the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described in the' Vfollowing specication of an exemplary mode ofex'ecution ofthe invention; reference behad to Ythe acfcomanying drawings forming a part thereof, andin which drawings:

'Ei'gf 1v is a top plan vievv offa raft embodying tho invention; 'P'Oii'ioii-Y 0i tri; lodos "boing omitted and portionsof the cell envelop or cover boing shown pushed aside to Show parts 015116,13-

Wiso ooiioeoled. f Fig. g is an enlarged transverse section on the .staggered lino 2..-2 oi Fig.. 1..

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary Sectional views toison on the lines 3:-3 and Fig. 1.

taken resootivolv ofY 2 :liig- 5 iso perspective view of one oi the .air cells, and Y Fig. .is o nog-momma. bottomoolari view ,ofone ond *ofv the raf/t as viewed in Fig. l to show the method of .soouringthe laoings together- Instoolillostrstod embodiment of the invention,Y

thonflame o f the lait comprises a fra-me `I .o light weight tubing and forming 4a rectai-igl hav, ing .roondod corners Preferably, the fiameis formed from. asinglo lengthoff'tubing having tho meeting ends welded ytogothor as at g2.. By making the frame of .light weight.. tubing .suoli as aluminum, and of sufiioiont diameter, it is rendoreoibuoyant and adds to the. supporting .y-of the :raftfloat assembly .of the ,rait comprises *coilv envelop or cover 3 formed of heavy textiley such.

as canvas. and having.A sidolariges 4 i, Comprising a too ele nt snd. a 'bottomolemont .6 sewed together nos of stiohing i, 7- Slightlv back from-ooe. end, the-. top and `loot-tom elements 5,

and .S @interconnected together throughout their width b-y a narrow st izio ofv fabric .8 stitched thereto at e, 8 said strioliaving a .series 0f open-- ings. l0; therethrough to receive the valve Stom portions Il oa serios. of air cells or bags i2. placed Within and extending side by `side longi-A tudinally of the cover .or envelop 3 as best shown in Fig. 1.- The opposite ends of tho cover portions 5 ando have sovved thereto. at L3, 13- the opposite sidesora .slide fastener, |,disoosed a short dis-r tancoxboolgffrom thefoiidsthoreoi by which the cells ,f2 may be enclosed within the cover.

The side Hongos d .are Y provided with aseries of- `spaced lacing ,receiving grommets I5 andthe cornersof thetoo and botto-.rn portions are united` by corner lacing receiving grommets lf3. The separated end flange lportions at the slide fastener end. ofA the oever 3 are yprovidedv with aligned,` spaoodopairs offgrommets lo, 418, soo Fig. 4, andA at the opposite end the end anges are secured together by grommets. I9, positioned between the stems ofthe air cell valves. il which protrude through the, openings the end stri-p S; the anges between said grommets being separable to permit aoooss delating the cells.

Then-float,assemblyisfsecured within the frame` bv a iacingcomorising a 11o-iiv oi loting ropes.. 2G and .2l the ends of are inserted through the ,ceotsrooiv oi grommets at one sod of the float `ossgrrib,1v as. iodiootod in Eig. d slid th Other-ms ofi-tho roots are thon Wound ifi, Op: posite spirals'around the frame and through to the valves.. foi' irai/fisting eig iioiilfthev moet at, theY tents? s at; die oosositg grid, ai)

envelop after which they are tightened and ad- J'usted to center the float assembly within the frame as shown in Fig. 1 and are then tied together in the manner shown in Fig. 6.

The cells I2 as here shown are formed of extruded rubber tubing which is then cut to length and the ends vulcanized or otherwise secured together as indicated at 22 and 23 vwith the valve stems il being inserted and sealed in one of the ends at that time. However, the cells may be formed in any other manner that is found economical considering production quantities, tooling costs and related matters; the only essential being that they be of elongated formv of uniform cross section so that a plurality of cells may be placed side by side longitudinally of the iloat cover so that the adjacent side walls of the cells will be vertically disposed and will give rigidity to the float.

To remove a cell for replacement 'or repair, the cells are first at least partially deflated, the lacing at the slide fastener end of the envelop is released as shown in Fig. 1, the slide fastenerv opened and the cell or cells removed and replaced after which the end is closed by the slide fastener, the lacings are replaced'and tied and the cells re-infiated.

The entire raft is light in weight and rides high in the water so that it can be readily pushed along by a swimmer. At the same time, the novel arrangement of the air cells makes a rigid structure of the float on which a person can be supported. Further, the spacing of the frame from the float assembly by means of the lacings makes the entire perimeter of the raft available for hand holds. Also when assembled and with the air cells deated, the entire raft takes up little more room than that required for the frame itself. Still further it is to be noted that the end flanges of the float cover or envelop are separated to permit access to the cell valves and extend over them to protect the valves from injury and to protect the user from injury by the valves', and that, likewise, the end flanges at the opposite end of the envelop similarly protect the slide fastener ,A

and the user.

While the foregoing description includes the since the novel form of air cell structure, upon inflation, causes the adjacent side walls `of the cells to form vertically disposed reinforcing members (see Fig. 2) which will impart suicient ridigity -to the float to render it usable without the frame. In that form of use, the flanges are laced together at each end to enclose the valve stems and the slide fastener and, if desired, a lacing could also be applied to the grommets in the side flanges to make them more easily grasped by a user.

Also, while from a replacement standpoint it is preferable to form the air cells in separate units as shown in Fig. 5, it will be realized that for maximum manufacturing economy, the cell structure may be formed in single unit having two or more cells of the form here shown with the valves arranged to project through the end member of the casing in the same manner as shown in Fig. 3; the essential feature being thatv the cell structure comprise cells disposed in parallel and so shaped that when inflated, the adjacent sides of the cells will impart rigidity to the casing. While in the foregoing specification I have described one embodiment of my invention, I do notintend thereby to limit myself to the exact form disclosed and the invention includes all such modifications of the parts and of their equivalents and of the construction, combination and arrangement of such parts and equivalents as shall come within the purview of the appendedrclaims.

I claim:

1; In a raft, a rigid, rectangular'frame'element formed of tubing and a float assembly mounted within the inner perimeter of said frame element and secured thereto by a lacing; said float assembly comprising a bag-like fabric casing of rectangular side outline and having iiange portions extending along each side and each end thereof, an end member extending across and closing one end of said casing adjacent the inner edge of the flange at that end of the casing and having a 'series of openings extending therethrough, a slide fastener extending across the other end of the casing adjacent the inner edge of the flange at that end vof the casing, and a plurality of I separate, inflatable air cells contained in said casing; each of said cells having a valve stem protruding through one of the openings in saidA end member to permit access thereto externally of said casing.

2. In a raft, a rigid, rectangular frame element formed of tubing and a float assembly mountedwithin the inner perimeter of said frame element and secured thereto by a lacing; said float assembly comprising a bag-like fabric of rectangular side outline and having single flange portions extending along each side and a pair of parallel, superimposed flange portions extending across each end thereof, an end member extending across and closing one end of said casing adjacent the inner edge of the flanges at that end of the casing and having a series of openings therethrough, a slide fastener closure means extending across the other end of the casing adjacent the inner edge of the flanges at that4 end of the casing, and a plurality of separate inatable air cells contained in said casing; each of said cells having a valve stem protruding through one of the openings in said end member; each of said valve stems being of elongated, tubular configuration and having an air valve mounted in y one end thereof.

3. In a raft, a rigid, rectangular frame element formed of tubing and a float assembly mounted within the inner perimeter of said frame element and secured thereto by a lacing; said float assembly comprising a bag-like fabric of rectangular side outline and having single flange portions extending along each side and pairs ofA spaced,

posed in spaced relation along said flanges, and

a lacing connecting said grommets with said frame element and maintaining said fioat assembly substantially centrally disposed within the inner perimeter of said frame element; said lacing serving additionally to bring said pairs offlanges together with resultant housing of said slide fastener and the protruding portions of said valve stems.

4. A person supporting float construction comprising a bag-like fabric casing of rectangular side outline and having single flange portions extending along each side and spaced, parallel flange portions extending across each end thereof, an end closure member extending across one end of said casing adjacent and parallel to the inner edges of the flange portions at that end of the casing, a slide fastener closure means extending across the other end of said casing disposed at the inner edge of the ange portions at said other end of the casing, and a plurality of elongated tubular air cells removably contained in said casing disposed in parallel relation to each other; the adjacent sides of said air cells, When iniiated, combining to form vertically disposed reinforcing members effective to impart rigidity to the assembly.

5. A person supporting float construction comprising a bag-like fabric of rectangular side outline; said casing being formed of parallel plies of material secured together along their side edges by spaced parallel lines of stitching with resultant formation of side iiange portions, an end closure member secured to one end of each of said plies back from the end edges thereof with resultant formation of said ends as a pair of separate, parallel end flanges; said end member having a series of openings therethrough, a slide fastener closure means secured to said plies at the opposite ends thereof and disposed back from said end edges with resultant formation of said other ends as a second pair of separate, parallel end anges, and a plurality of elongated air cells removably mounted in said casing; each of said cells having a valve stem at one end thereof and each of said valve stems being disposed in one of the openings in said end member.

6. A person supporting float construction comprising a bag-like fabric casing of rectangular side outline and having a singleflange portion extending along each side thereof and pairs of parallel flange portions along each end thereof, an end closure member extending across one end of said casing adjacent the inner edges of the iianges at that end of the casing, a manually operable closure means. extending across the opposite end of the casing adjacent the inner edges of the flanges at that end of the casing, a series of inflatable air cells removably mounted in said casing and having stem portions extending through said end closure member and terminating Within the outer ends of the pair of flanges adjacent said end closure member, a series of grommets in said side and end flanges, and a lacing disposed in said grommets; said lacing serving to secure the pairs of end fianges at each end together with resultant housing of said stem portions and said manually operable closure means.

HAROLD L. KIRBY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

